Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for starting and locking/unlocking a motor vehicle. More specifically, this device is also known as an electronic key.
The issuing of commands to start and/or to stop a motor vehicle in an electronic manner is already known. What happens here is that the presence of an xe2x80x9celectronic keyxe2x80x9d in an appropriate support is detected so as to allow the vehicle to be started or stopped.
Now, as this key is simply placed (without attachment) in an appropriate support, it has seemed preferable, for elementary safety reasons, for this key not to be able to removed from its support (inadvertently, as the result of an accident, etc.) while the vehicle is operating. Indeed, removal of the key from its support could cause the vehicle to stop.
The object of the present invention is to create a device for starting and locking/unlocking the vehicle comprising an xe2x80x9celectronic keyxe2x80x9d that cannot be removed from its support while the vehicle is operating.
To this end, the present invention relates to a device for starting and for locking/unlocking a motor vehicle, of the type comprising:
a key carrying at least one control for locking/unlocking the vehicle,
a support designed to accommodate the key in an appropriate housing and to detect the presence of this key in the housing, and
a means for starting/stopping the vehicle engine, said device being characterized in that the starting/stopping means is a bistable button formed on the support, said button furthermore constituting a means for immobilizing the key in the housing when the vehicle is in operation.
Advantageously, the command to start the engine causes the button to deploy and the key to be held in position in the support. The command to stop the vehicle itself causes the button to be effaced and the key to be released.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will in any case become more apparent from the description which follows, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings in which: